Die for forming sheet metal.



No. 660.7I9. i Patehted 001. 30. |900. E. G'. BUDD.

mE'Fnn Fomna SHEET METAL. (Applicxtion led June 2, 1900.) ua Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

1HE uonms PETERS co, PNoTQLlTHo.. wnsnmm'ouA c.

'nog 600,719. Patented oct. 30,1900. E. a. Buon. DIE FUR FORNI-NG SHEET HETAL.

(Applicntion lsd June 2, 1900.)

A.2 Sheets-Sheet ,2.

(No Model.)

Y E Nonms PETERS oo. Pnmwumc.. wnsmnamu u c UNITED STATES PATENT FEICE.

EDWARD e. BUDD, oE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoR 'ro THE AMERICAN PULLEY COMPANY, on PENNSYLVANIA.

DIE FOR FRIVIINGA SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,719, dated October 30, 1900.

Application filed June 2, 1900. Serial No. 18,814. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. BUDD, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Dies for Forming Sheet Metal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to dies for forming sheet metal; and it consists of certain improvements set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to construct a set of dies which shall have capacity for imparting to asheet of metal a preliminary shape to constitute a spider or spoke structure for a sheet-metal pulley. Heretofore it has been custom ary to impart a radial position to the tongues of the blank by the operation of curving the palm or Semicircular hub-lian'ge, but in that case it was necessary to make the separation between the tongues extend down to the said palm or hub-flange.

In an improved spider for pulleys which I have fully set out in another specification, Serial No. 18,815, bearing even date with this, I have made the spoke-arms at their inner ends integral with an annular ange, so that the said spoke-arms are not separated down to the palm. As the spreading of the spokearms requires that the metal of said flange shall be wire-drawn or thinned out, it is necessary to provide a suitable construction of dies which shall have capacity for holding and forcibly bending and wire-drawing the metal, and it is to the construction of these dies that my present invention refers, the details of which will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a plan view of my improved dies with the upper part removed. Fig. 2 is front elevation of my improved dies. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 4c is a front elevation of a portion of same when partly operated. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a plan View of one of the spoke-blanks to be treated in my improved dies. Fig. 7 is a section through the spokeblank. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the com pleted blank after being subjected to the action of the dies, and Fig. 9 is a perspective View of same.

A is the base-frame, and has an upright cen tral part composed of the lower anvil B and 'upper guide part C, between which portions is a deep horizontal slot b. To each side of` the anvil part B is arranged oblique anvil parts B' B', the angle with the horizontal being preferably sixty degrees, though this may be varied to suit cases where more than six spokes are to be employed in the wheel.` The upper part C of the central portion is provided with a guide C2, having side flanges to hold the upright central tongue of the spokeblank.

E E are two pivoted frames and are journaled in the base-frame A on horizontal journals or shafts d d, which are counterweighted at F F, so as to normally hold said frames E in elevated positions. The centers of the journals d d are respectively in line with the opposite ends of the horizontal slot b. Secured firmly to each of the'se pivoted frames is one of the forming-dies D D. These dies have their lower Surfaces in alinement with the upper surface of the slot b and are further provided with outwardly-extending and vertically-arranged ribs c c. Y

R is an upper frame adapted to be vertically reciprocated by the press and has downwardly-extending bars T T, slotted at t at their lower parts and through which extend pins e, carried by the pivoted frames E. The vertical reciprocation of the frame R causes the frames E and their dies D to be rocked upon the journals d as axes, assuming either the positions shown in Fig. 2 or those of Fig. 4. This transforms the blank shown in Fig. 6 into the shape shown in either Figs. 8 or 9.

The spoke-blank consists of a flat piece of sheet metal having slots p formed therein, so as to produce the spoke -tongues P. The metal adjacent to the roots'of these tongues and bottom of the slots is thickened, as at P2, Figs. 6 and 7, so that when the tongues P are separated, as in Figs. 8 and 9, under the action of the dies in changing from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 4 the wire-drawing action may take place and prevent rupture at these parts. When the spider is finished in these dies, it is subjected to treat ment in other dies which curve the palm and set the spokes at the proper Obliquity to the palm. These subsequent operations further reduce the metal of the parts P2, so that in the spider the parts P/ are approximately of The same thickness as the metal of the spoke and palm. As shown, the spoke-blank is provided with a transverse flange S at some distance below the termination-of the slots p, and this is received in the slot b of the dies, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, when the operation of bending the tongues P into radial posit-ions is to take place. When this latter operation is effected, the central arm P will be held against lateral displacement by the fixed guide C2 and the other arms P will be forcibly bent down by the action of the ribs c c and the shaping of the flange S into the preliminary palm S. In this operation the outer edges of the tongues when moved sixty degrees from the vertical are received upon the anvils B2, and thus set in proper position. While the ribs c may be omitted, if desired, I prefer to employ them,

as more sure and reliable results are secured by their use.

The pivoted dies D are positively moved down at their free ends' by the descending links T and frame' R and may rise bythe action of the counterweights F.

Vhile I have illustrated myimproved dies asI have found them best adapted to the practical problem in commercial manufacture, I do not limit myself to the minor details, as they maybe modified in various ways without departing` from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die, having a transverse slot b open at the front above the anvil proper B and a fixed guide above the slot consisting of two forward projections arranged at a distance apart with two pivoted or hinged dies arranged slightly above the anvil-die and adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die.

2. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die,with two pivoted or hinged dies journaled upon fixed axes and arranged slightly above the anvil-die and adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die, a vertically-movable frame, and connecting-links between said movable frame and the pivoted or hinged dies whereby the latter are moved in the same direction upon moving the movable frame.

3. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die, with two pivoted or hinged dies journaled upon fixed axes and arranged slightly above the anvil-die and adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the an vil-die, a vertically-m ovable frame for applying power to depress the hinged dies, connecting-links between the said movable frame and the pivoted or hinged dies whereby the latter are moved in the saine direction upon moving the movable frame, and automatic devices independent of the power-applying movable frame for raising the pivoted dies when downward pressure upon them is removed.

4. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die, with two pivoted'or hingeddies arranged slightly above the anvil-die and adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die, power devices for depressing the free ends of the pivoted or hinged dies, and automatic devices independent of the power devices for raising the said pivoted dies when the downward pressure is removed.

5. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die, with two pivoted or hinged dies arranged slightly above the anvil-die adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die and in which the said pivoted or hinged dies are provided with lateral projections c adapted to operate upon the edges of the sheet-metal blank for turning the spoke-arms through a given arc simultaneously with the bending of the hubflange by the pivoted dies. y

6. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of ananvil-die, with two pivoted or hinged dies arranged slightly above the anvil-die adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die and in which the said pivoted or hinged dies are provided with lateral projections c adapted to operate upon the edges of the sheet-metal blank for turning the spoke-arms through a given arc simultaneously with the bending of the hubflange by the pivoted dies, and a fixed guide for holding the central tongue or spoke-arm of the blank during the bending operation above specified.

'7. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, the combination of an anvil-die, with two pivoted or hinged dies arranged slightly above the anvil-die and adapted to have their opposite and outer ends depressed for bending the metal over the anvil-die, and anvildies B2 having oblique faces arranged upon opposite sides ofthe central anvil-die for receiving the spoke-arms and imparting thereto the proper set.

8. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, a' fixed die having a transverse slot and the metal immediately below the said slot formed into a central anvil-die having a fiat top surface and two downward-extending oblique surfaces extending from the lateral edges of the top surface, combined with two pivoted or hinged dies having their axes of rotation in alinement with the lateral edges IIO of the slot and adapted to fold down parallel io the oblique surfaces of the anvil-die.

E). ln dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, a fixed die having a transverse slot and the metal imnnediatebT below the said slot formed into a central anvil-die having a flat top surface and two downward-extending` oblique surfaces extending from the lateral edges of the top surface, combined With two pivoted or hinged dies having their axes of rotation in alinement with the lateral edges of the slotl and adapted to fold down parallel to the oblique surfaces of the anvil-die, and further provided with projecting ribs c arranged vertically above the axis of rotation, and power devices for rocking the pivoted or hinged dies.

l0. In dies for shaping sheet-metal spokespiders, a iixed die having a transverse slot and the metal immediately below the said slot formed into a central anvil-die having a. [iat top surface and two downward-extending ololique surfaces extending from the lateral edges of the top surface, combined with two pivoted or hinged dies having their axes of rotation in alinement with the lateral edges of the slot and adapted to fold down parallel to the oblique surfaces of the anvil-die and further provided with projecting ribs c arranged vertically above the axis of rotation, and a central guide secured in ixed relation above the slot of the anvil-die.

In testimony of which invention I have 

